Vacuum-tube lighting.



" No. 895,485. f

D. MOF. MOORE.

` -VACUUM TUBE LIGHTING'.

APPLIOATIQNFILED APE.. 2, 1906,.

PATENTBD AUG. 1'1, 190s.

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COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. YS

' No. 895,485. l

T o all whoin it may conceml' I Be it known that I, DANIEL MGFARLAN MOORE, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Newark, in the county of Essex' and State of New Jersey, (with post-office address 52 Lawrence street,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum-Tube Lighting, of which the following is a specification.

erg required for exciting the gas or vapor to uminosity. In this s stem of illumination, the translucent tu e containing the gas or vapor is ordinarily made many feet in length and is extended over or through the whole space to be illuminated so as to give a practlcall uniform illumination.

In the case o apartments or interiors of ordinary dimension, that is to say, interiors 'less in dimensions than halls or arenas designed for very large gatherings of people, a single tube will serve for. the illumination of the entire inclosed space.-

For oliice buildings, apartments or dwelling houses, each interior room or space can be 'readily lighted by a single tube, whose length inany case would obviously depend upon the size of the room or in some cases upon the degree of illumination des1red, as for instance, where it is desired to increase the illumination by carrying -the tubing backward and forward through the interior space.

In the practice of this method or system of illumination, it is usual to employ as the source of energy, the high potential derived from a suitably wound transformer, all of whose high potential windings and eonnections are located in the protective case or envelop and there directly connected to the conducting terminals or electrodes of the tube, andas will be obvious, such high potential winding should in any case be accommodated to the length of tube and hence resistance of the gas or vapor path extending between the tube terminals.

'lhc object of the present invention is to Specification o! Lettere Patent. Application filed April 2, 1906.\\ S\erial No. 309,282; l

, l DANIEL MCFARLAN MOORE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO MOOR VACUUM-'run I LIGHTING.

ELECTRICAL' y CORPORATION-or NEW Yo r.

Patented sugli, 190s'.- jf r 'i cheapen the total cost of installation in those 5S cases where it is desired to use a number of tubes illuminating different areas or spaces and of diierent lengths or` of the same lengths. y

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the lighting may be conveniently and safely controlled by turning the lighten or oil In the different tubes independently Aof one another. A

To these ends, the invention consists substantially in an im roved system or appara-V tus for electrical il umination comprising a series of translucent tubes containingal luminous gas or vapor and all extending from a common center or base of tube distribution at which point their conducting terminals are all housed in a protective case or envelop containing a transiormer, whose high potential side comprises a number of secondaries connected respectively to said tubes and each adjusted to the length of tube to which it is connected.

The invention further consists in the provision for each of said tubes, of an oil switch located in the said protective inclosure and placed in the electric circuit between the secondary and the tube supplied thereby.

The invention consists further in the improved combinations of apparatus hereinafter more particularly described and then specified in the claims.

, In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a general .side elevation and partial section`\\ showing in skeleton or diagrammatic fashion x a tube center with the associated appliances. Fig. 2 illustrates diagrammatically' the application of my invention to the illumination of spaces on different floors of a building or structure.

Referring to Fig. 1, the tubes of glass containing the luminous gas or vapor are marked l. In this figure the .portions of said tubes near the center of distribution only are shown.. The other portions extend away in any desired direction and to and over any dcsired spaces and are of any desired length requisitefor reaching the space to be illumi` nated and for properly illuminating thesame.

2 indicates the conducting terminals by means of which the gas or vapor contents of the tubes receive electric energy.- Said vterminals may be internal or external electrodes' as well understood in the art; They are lotial side of said transformer, While 6 inl icates a series of high potential secondary windings connected respectively to the terminals 2 within the casing 3 as shown. The otential of each said primary is adjusted to the length of the particular ti'ibe 1 to which it is connected, it being well understood that the longer the tube the higher ordinarily should be the potential of the electric energy sup- Vpiied thereto.

Three tubes and three corresponding secondarics 6 are shown, but it is obvious that a larger number of secondaries and tubes might be employed. It is likewise obvious that more than one primary mi lit be used or more than one complete trans ormer.

In the connection between' each tube andits secondary 6 is located an oil switch 7, by

means of which each tube may be lighted or .extinguished at will. Said oil switch is like- Wise located inthe protective inclosure 3. It nia be actuated by any desired mechanism andif desired the actuating handle or controllindg device, if (properly insulated, may exten or be locate outside of the casing3.

Referring to Fig. 2 I show diagrammatically a series of four tubes a phed to the illumination respectively of our different floors in a building. Said tubes extend from the common tube center located as near as i possible'at the center of said floors and said tubes, if required to give the same amount of illumination on their respective iloors, would obviously require to be of diiierent length, or it might be that on each floor a different amount of illumination would be required from that demanded on other. floors. In any case the potential of each secondary connected to any tube at the center of tube distribution would be adjusted to' the length of that tube. Obviously, a still larger number of oois might obtain their light from the same center of tube distribution or a larger number of tubes might extend trom the same center and a number be used on the saine floor' for illuminating different rooms or apartments, the length of each tube being adjusted to the size of the interior to be lighted.v By my invention, I am enabled to ap l the vacuum tube system of lifflitiiig 'to built? ings and to greatly cheapen tie total cost of installation when said tubes are o era-ted from transformers and require to be o different length.

That I'claiin as my invention is: 1. An apparatus for illumination by translucent tubes containing a luminous gas or vapor rendered-luminous by electric energy and comprising a series of tubes of different 7 length extending from a comriioii center of tube distribution and having their conducting terminals or electrodes housed in a protective case or envelop combined with independent sources of high connected respectively to t e tube termina s within said casing and each adjusted to the length of tubing supplied.

2. In an apparatus for electric lighting by luminous gas or vapor contained in translucent tubes, the combination of a series .of transformer secondaries, a protective Casin inclosing the same at a common center o tube distribution and translucent tubes havotential energ v ing conducting terminals or electrodes located in said casing and connected 'respectively to' different sccondaries, the` non-conducting translucent portions of said tubes being extended rom said tube center in different lengths of tubing to the spaces or interiors to 9 be 'ghted. v

3. In an apparatus for electrical illumina.- tion by a gas or vapor contained in translucent'tubing, the combination of a multiplicity of tubes having their conducting terminals located at a common base or center of tube distribution, a protective casing` in which said terminals are located, a. source of high otential energy toI which the tube -termina or electrodes are connected in said casing and oil switches in the connections in said casing between the high potential source j and the tube terminal, as and for the purpose described.

4. In an apparatus for electric lighting by'105 a gas or vapor inclosed in translucent tubing, the combination of a transformer having a series of secondaries, a' protective casing inclosing said secondaries, and a series of tubos having their terminals connected within said casing to said secondaries respectively and having their translucent non-conducting portions extending from said casing as a tube center of distribution to the areas or spaces to be lighted as and for the purpose de- 115 scribed.

- 5. In an apparatus for electric lighting by a gas or vapor contained in translucent tubinv, the combination of a multiplicity of tubes radiatinor from a common center 0r base of tube distribution and having their conducting terminals housed in a protective case or envelop, and sources of high potential for said tubes also located ini said envelop and therein connected to the terminals l;

tion, a protective case or envelop for said tubel terminals and a potential raising converter located in said casing sind supplyin high potentiel energy to the terminals of sai 5 tubes.

7. The combinaties of a terminal danger proofbox and a multiplieityvof vacuum lighting tubes radiating therefrom as from a. tube center iof distribution, each of said tubes being provided. with conducting terminals lo- 1 cated within seid danger-proof box. Signed at NewYork in the county of New York and State of New York thisth day of Merch-2r.-.l.).19!)6. Y Y

DANIEL MCFARLNMOORE. Witnesses:

C. F. TISCHNER, Jr., LLLLIAN BLOND. 

